The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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  • Lee Egerstrom (center) says buying Minnesota-made products is one of the best ways to spur the economy. Egerstrom is joined by Joe Sheeran of Minnesota 2020 and Jennifer Luhmann of the St. Peter Food Co-op. John Cross

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December 1, 2010

Sustainable small business begins at home, says report author

By Tim Krohn The Free Press

ST PETER — You’ve scoured the stores for deals on Black Friday and surfed for bargains on Cyber Monday. Now the stores selling locally made, sustainable gifts hope you’ll give them a look.

“Gifts made in Minnesota tend to be better quality than the cheapest thing you can find on the shelf,” said Lee Egerstrom, who authored a report for Minnesota 2020 on growing sustainable small businesses.

For every $100 spent locally, $68 remains in the area economy, but only $43 remains when purchasing at a chain store, according to the Andersonville Study of Retail Economics. For locally grown food based products — such as wine, cheese and fruit — the amount that remains in the local economy rises to more than $90, the study says.

Egerstrom, who spoke at an event at the St. Peter Food Co-op Wednesday, said his study found that more small businesses are focusing on sustainability — defined as using policies that meet today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

“There is not, for most industries, a hardship ... in using environmentally friendly practices,” Egerstrom said.       

Still, he said, businesses need more information on what sustainable practices work and more financing to implement those practices.

Jennifer Luhmann, of the co-op, said they were doing sustainable before it had a name.

“St. Peter Food Co-op has always focused on sustainability and locally grown. It’s just more of a buzzword now,” Lumann said.

Minnesota 2020, a St. Paul-based think tank, is again posting its Made in Minnesota Gift Guide online (mn2020.org/giftguide) listing more than 400 independently owned stores that sell Minnesota made products.

Some of the local businesses listed include the co-op, Alemar Cheese in Mankato, Laura’s Candy and Jon Smithers Minnesota Wildlife & Nature Photography in St. Peter.

 

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